Sermons

In this series we are looking at prophecy of Jesus' coming in context with what he came to do. Close at hand in this process was Zechariah's prophecy of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians and the sacking of Jerusalem and the exile at the hands of the Babylonians. Zechariah then looks ahead to coming judgment on other nations. A main emphasis is the sovereign work of God. Judgment comes against cities near Jerusalem and along the sea for their rejection of God. Zechariah foresees judgment against Damascus and the "hard and the soft," perhaps the Persians. Syria was under the control of the Persians. Tyre and Sidon, in Phoenicia, are where Lebanon is today. They were very wealthy cities. The Lord will destroy them, at the hand of Alexander the Great, who brought the Aristotelian philosophy and Hellenistic culture. God was sovereignly bringing to pass the right time for the spread of the Gospel. It gave the people in the area a common language. Then, the Romans came and built roads and infrastructure. This was all at the hand of God. In 333 BC, Alexander defeated Darius, the Persian king. He conquered first the Phoenicians, then the Philistines and then the Persians. He conquered Tyre in 7 months. Gaza fought Alexander to the death of all the men, and Alexander threw the women and children into slavery. There is not much in history about Alexander's conquering of Israel. All we have is from the Jewish historian Josephus. Alexander came against Jerusalem to capture the high priest. The Israelites met Alexander at the gates dressed in white, with an inscription on his forehead. Alexander worshiped, saying he was worshiping the God of Israel. Alexander claimed he had a vision of a man dressed like the high priest who promised to deliver the Persians to him. He accompanied the Israelites into Jerusalem and offered correct sacrifices. He then went out to conquer the Persians. Next Zechariah prophesies the advent of the king, the Messiah. The picture is that of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. God will punish the wicked and spare His people. Those who trust in Him, he will provide for. Your king is coming as a righteous ruler. He possesses salvation to give as Savior. This is the Gospel message. Also, He is humble. He comes as a king, but not as a conquering warrior. He bears peace, peace with God, and peace among His people. He will break weapons and bring a peaceful rule. Matthew 20 recounts how Jesus washes the disciples' feet and ushers in servant leadership. We are all to serve each another in the Body of Christ.